Most newer Macs (usually System 7.5.3 and above) come with Open Transport. To check if you have the right stuff, go to the Apple Menu, select Control Panels and look for TCP/IP. If you do have TCP/IP, then check to see if you also have PPP or Remote Access. If you do not have TCP/IP, or if you have TCP/IP but neither PPP nor Remote Access, then you may need to load our disk set and follow the instructions for Older Macintoshes.

Configuration

If you have an iMac, then you have a wizard that makes connecting an absolute cinch. Merely follow our easy answers to the Internet Setup Assistant (accessed via the Internet folder on your hard drive).

Alternately, the first task is to configure TCP/IP, located in the Apple Menu under Control Panels. TCP/IP is the underlying protocol that allows your computer to communicate across the Internet. Modify the configuration as follows:

You will need to make the following entries:

When done, simply close the screen.

Next, go back to the Apple Menu / Control Panels and select PPP or Remote Access - you will have one or the other depending on your operating system. Fill in your name (i.e., your User ID, all lower case) and your password (which is case-sensitive). Then type in the local access number that you will dial for Cyber Mesa.

Connecting

Whether you have an iMac or just followed the instruction above, you are ready to test your connection by clicking on the Connect button or (Go Ahead in the case of the iMac). You should connect with ease.

If the connection is successful, then you are ready to browse the Web and check your email. If not, then reboot your computer and try again, going to the Apple Menu / Control Panels and either PPP or Remote Access. If the connection fails again, recheck your settings to make sure that you did not overlook anything or make a typo. Otherwise, go on to the Troubleshooting section, and/or call Tech Support.

To disconnect, click on the Disconnect button, if handy. Alternately, go back to the Apple Menu / Control Panels and either PPP or Remote Access to bring up the connection box that houses the Disconnect button.

Email and Browsing the Web

Your Macintosh might have come with a browser such as Internet Explorer or Netscape, and with some sort of email program. iMacs come bundled with both of the above browsers plus Outlook Express for email. If you have an iMac, then you configured your email when you stepped throught the Internet Setup Assistant. You may still want to read further, however, to learn how to set the Home Page for your browser.

If you did not have the luxury of the Internet Setup Assistant, then you may need to acquire a browser and an email program from Cyber Mesa, and you will need to configure them.

The email configuration is a bit trickier because different email packages use somewhat different terminology. To configure Outlook Express go to Edit on the menu bar, then Preferences. In the case of Eudora Light select Special from the menu bar, then Settings. The following is the basic information you will need to set up you computer to send and receive email:

Note that the POP account and Return address are both valid email addresses for you, though not necessarily the same. The POP account tells your computer where to find your email, while those to whom you send email see and reply to the Return address. The Internet at Cyber Mesa supports a number of domains from which you can select for your Return address, also called your Email address (view domain selection).

Your email password is one and the same with your Internet at Cyber Mesa password. If you dig around in the configuration area of your email program, you will find an option that will allow you to save your password, thereby avoiding the need to type it every time you check for mail. Also note the option to "Leave mail on server". When you travel, or if you use another computer at work, it is handy to leave the mail on our Server for a day or two so that all of your incoming mail downloads to all of the computers you access.

By way of a pointer or two, to check for incoming mail with Outlook Express, connect to the Internet at Cyber Mesa. Then open Outlook Express and select Tools / Send and Receive. Note the series of icons along the top of the Outlook Express window. To create a new out-bound email, click on the New icon. To reply to a message you received, highlight the message and select the Reply icon. The program will automatically put the sender's email address on the To section of your reply. When you have completed your outgoing message, just click on the Send icon

If you use Eudora Light, after connecting to the Internet at Cyber Mesa, open Eudora and go to File / Check Mail. To send an email go to Message / New Message on the menu bar. Fill in the To and Subject sections. Compose the body of your message below the line. When done, click Send. To reply to an email that you received, go to Message / Reply. Eudora takes over and rearranges the inbound email to create the proper addressing for the reply. Keep in mind that while you do need to be connected to the Internet to send and receive mail, you can read and compose mail off-line.

If you have difficulty, please give us a call before the onset of frustration. We will do our best to help with connectivity issues, though we do not claim expertise in all areas of Internet software. Keep in mind that often the best source for software support comes from the software vendor. Also, the Internet itself is perhaps the greatest resource in the world...and you can now take full advantage of it!